PROCLAMATION 5608—FEB. 12, 1987
101 STAT. 2075
best yachtsmen in the world. In a lengthy series of exhausting and exciting races, it successfully defeated eleven challengers for the right to face New Zealand in the finals of the challenger's division. Although the Kiwi had compiled a most impressive record in earlier races, Stars and Stripes defeated the New Zealand boat 4 to 1 to earn the right to sail for the Cup against the Australian defender. In the final series. Stars and Stripes defeated Kookaburra III 4 to 0 to capture the America's Cup and bring the trophy back to the United States. Throughout the competition, the Australian team and the Australian people demonstrated to the world their sportsmanship and their unsurpassed hospitality. The skill and determination of the Stars and Stripes team captured the imagination of the American people. They demonstrated the traits that have long characterized this country at its best—optimism, dedication, teamwork, and an eagerness to master the most advanced technology and put it to good use. In honor of the Stars and Stripes' victory in the America's Cup, the Congress, by House Joint Resolution 131, has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation expressing to Dennis Coimer and the crew the thanks and admiration of our Nation. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim to Dennis Conner and the crew of Stars and Stripes the heartfelt congratulations and appreciation of our Nation for a job well done and for filling our sails with confidence and pride. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this ninth day of February, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eleventh. RONALD REAGAN
Proclamation 5608 of February 12, 1987
National Year of Thanksgiving, 1987 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation We, as a people, have been truly blessed, and for these blessings we should be everlastingly grateful to the God to Whose providence this Nation was committed from its very inception. President Washington issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789 "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful heart the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness." To remind us of our own rich heritage and the blessings of life in America, 1987 has been designated the National Year of Thanksgiving. It is no coinci-
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